Welcome

Dear Bengals fans,

We are excited that the NFL owners and players reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows our games to be played this season, so all of us can get back to football. The fans said they wanted football "” and you will get NFL football this fall.

The NFL is the most popular sport in America. It is a great sport, a great league, with wonderful players and amazing finishes. We are thrilled that we have a labor deal in place for a long while that gives the fans certainty in our game, while balancing the interests of our current and future players with teams' needs to invest in the future. Importantly, this deal also provides more for our retired players who built the league up to where it is today.

Now, all of us can focus entirely on the upcoming 2011 season. This year marks the 44th season of the Cincinnati Bengals. We are excited to have our players come back to start the season. We have missed them, and in particular, I know that the fans are as excited as we are to welcome in A.J. Green and Andy Dalton and the rest of our April Draft class.

The Bengals have been a franchise with great support from our fans and the local community. During the 2010 season, the club enjoyed a record-setting 57th straight sellout. Our games have been the most-watched television program in the local market for 96 consecutive weeks. Each weekend we have a Bengals game, there are more than 250,000 homes in Cincinnati (nearly half of all local homes) watching our team on television. Incredibly, 95 percent of the Cincinnati population watched an NFL game during the 2009 season, ranking third among local markets in the percentage of NFL fans who watch NFL games. We are very grateful to have the fans that we do, and consider ourselves blessed to own and operate one of only 32 NFL franchises here in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Every person who works at Paul Brown Stadium wants the same thing as you do "” to win a Super Bowl together for our fans and the Greater Cincinnati community that has been so good to us. Until we win that final Sunday of the season, we know we have fallen short of our goal and leave our fans unsatisfied and wanting more. We want more as well. Make no mistake; every season starts with the goal of winning that year's Super Bowl. With this deal with our players, we are excited as we look forward to playing the 2011 season and starting our drive to the Super Bowl by again winning our division.

Sincerely,
Mike Brown

Dear Bengals fans,

It is my pleasure to be the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the Bengals' 44th season, and I am proud to become the team's first head coach to reach nine seasons on the job.
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With a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, all of us can focus entirely on the upcoming 2011 season. We are excited to see all of our players and welcome in our rookies from the April NFL Draft, particularly top picks A.J. Green and Andy Dalton.

Two years ago, our football team swept the AFC North "” one of the toughest divisions in football "” and many key components of that team remain, including defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and a defense that has ranked in the top half of the NFL for three straight seasons. The area of the team that will change the most will be the offense with the new direction under offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, and new faces at quarterback and wide receiver. We believe that we have a great mix of veteran and new players along with veteran and new coaches who can win this year, and achieve that Super Bowl championship we all seek.

We look forward to getting back to the postseason by winning the AFC North title as we did in 2009. Our 2011 schedule sees us host the 49ers, the Bills, the Colts, the Texans and Cardinals, in addition to the Browns, Ravens and Steelers. These will be tough games, and we want the fans to come to the stadium and make it loud and enthusiastic. Our games are intense, passionate and meaningful, where you can have a great time with family members, friends, business colleagues or customers. Our business staff has spent the offseason working to improve the game-day experience, and we think you will notice the difference.

We all have lots to prove this year. We know that people are counting us out. But that's OK "” we like it that way. But let me be clear "” we want you back, we want you loud, we want you to have a great time. I look forward to seeing you in The Jungle this fall. Who Dey!